John —

In just 48 hours, we’re going to close the books on our final fundraising goal before the first FEC deadline of the year. It’s when our numbers will go public, and it’s a serious test for our campaign.

But I need to be frank with you: We’re a little bit behind on the online fundraising goals that will allow us to run the kind of campaign it will take to give Mitch McConnell and Thom Tillis a run for their money. And trust me, they’ve got a seemingly unlimited supply of it.

That’s why the experts are already saying this will be one of the most expensive races in the country. North Carolina has always been a battleground for races like ours.

The problem is, my Republican opponent has a major fundraising advantage. He can count on the big-money donors and corporate PACs to fill his campaign coffers and dump money into our state to save their yes-man.

The way I see it is that we will get outraised and outspent in this race. That’s a given, especially with North Carolina’s history of expensive Senate races. But we won’t be outworked or outhustled — not if we can count on your support right now.

We only have until midnight on Monday to catch up, and the only way we can is if as many folks like you as possible give whatever they can afford to make a meaningful difference. So, I’m asking:

Can I count on you to add a donation of $10 or more to our campaign before our critical mid-month fundraising deadline? I wouldn’t ask if it wasn’t important.

Thanks for everything.

— Cal